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October 29, 2009 | Arts + Culture Initiative

Dear Dom,

This past August, The Opportunity Agenda convened 68 artists, advocates, media makers, and funders for Creative Change 2009: A Social Justice Retreat in Colorado. Participants from a wide variety of backgrounds, disciplines, regions, and issue areas came together to discuss the intersection of creativity and social justice and lay the groundwork for strengthening this intersection going forward. Over four days of conversation, the group connected over conversation, music, drawing, dance, video, hiking, and poetry; relationships were formed; big ideas were conceived; and souls were nourished.

The retreat is now blossoming into an Arts + Culture Initiative, which seeks to infuse the social justice movement with the spirit of creative change, as a means of connecting policy to our most deeply held values. As the Initiative develops, we aspire to support advocates as they integrate creativity into their work, and provide artists and media makers with tools they need to have a direct impact on the issues that inspire them. Designed to move the social justice movement towards greater innovation, the Initiative serves as a catalyst for inspiration and action—incubating new ideas, relationships, and opportunities to move beyond traditional modes of organizing and activating constituencies. In 2010, we plan to focus on immigration and the confluence of arts and culture.

We look forward to sharing updates with you through this e-newsletter over the coming months.  For details, click here.

Thank you,

The Opportunity Agenda